Top ten most famous cars of all time

At some time or another, we’ve all dreamt about owning a car that we’ve watched screeching around our TV or cinema screens. Who hasn’t longed to be Steve McQueen powering that beautiful Mustang up and down the streets of San Francisco, in Bullitt? Or wanted to be Sean Connery, charismatically putting his Aston Martin through its paces in Goldfinger?

Top 10 most famous cars of all time

The 10 most famous cars of all time – perhaps.

Well, it could be said that choosing the 10 most famous cars of all time is nigh on impossible. And with that, we’d probably agree. But here’s a list of contenders. Some obvious. Some not. And some just plain unexpected.

In no particular order, here they are.

First up is the Volvo P1800.

The Saint (1962-1969) TV Series

Who could forget the famous and dashingly good-looking espionage agent, Simon Templar (Roger Moore, long before James Bond fame) and his uber-cool drive – the Volvo P1800. The ultimate choice of a Swedish car by the programme makers was a bit of a ticking off for the British motor industry. Apparently, Jaguar was initially approached to provide a car for the series, but declined because they saw little hope in “The Saint” ever really being a success. Oh dear.

Next on our list of celebrity cruisers is that lovely bug – the Beetle.

The Herbie films (1969, 1974, 1977, 1980, 2005)

Born in Germany in 1963, Herbie was an ivory coloured Volkswagen Beetle, famously distinguished by red, white and blue racing stripes and that big racing roundel, carrying the number 53. Capable of driving himself as well as feeling human emotions, Herbie was a nippy little Beetle with a Porsche 356 engine who gave the big boys a run for their money. And always won on the day.

The third super car of the big screen is the super sexy Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto.

The Graduate (1967) Film

Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman, in the role that really immortalised him as a truly international actor, drove this beautiful example of an Italian sports car as he engaged in a steamy affair with the older Mrs. Robinson. Now here’s the question: which is more beautiful – the Alfa or Mrs. Robinson?

Made famous by that brilliant film staring Michael Caine – the Mini Cooper S.

The Italian Job (1969) Film

Causing chaos on the streets of Turin as they pulled one of the most daring bank jobs in history, these three Mini Coopers caught the world’s imagination, and catapulted the Mini directly to iconic status.

Da da da-da-da da da da da… Best forget the remake, though.

No list of famous cars would be complete without our next four-wheeled wonder – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1969) Film

An ancient derelict racing car is discovered by Jeremy and Jemima who persuade their father, Caractacus Potts, to buy and restore it. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we love you. And who wouldn’t love a car that can transform itself into an aeroplane, hovercraft, and generally get Caractacus Potts, his children and Truly Scrumptious out of all sorts of trouble?

Back To The Future (1985) Film

Off-screen an extremely ill-fated Irish sports car but in Back To The Future, the DeLorean DMC 12 was capable of breaking the laws of quantum physics. Modified with a flux capacitor and a strategically placed nuclear generator, when travelling at precisely 88 mph, the DMC 12 was capable of time-travel.

The stunning red, white striped 1974 Ford Gran Torino.

Starsky and Hutch (1975 – 1979) TV Series

The Gran Torino was the monster muscle car that used to screech around our television sets on a Saturday night. Driven by the two hard-nosed and heart-throb California detectives, David Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Kenneth Hutchinson (David Soul). How come that bonnet never dented when they rolled over it?

One of LWT’s stars – 1977 Ford Capri 3.0 Litre Ghia

The Professionals (1977-1983) TV Series

Pure 70’s class. Controversial, brilliant, fast-paced, hard-hitting, all-action, and explosive, the long-running cult British crime-action-drama The Professionals gave the Ford Capri a reputation it richly deserved. Week in, week out, Bodie (Lewis Colins) and Doyle (Martin Shaw) dished out punishment to their 3.0 litre Ghias all in the name of law enforcement on behalf of CI5

So there you have it, a list of cars that were stars. Yes, it’s bound to cause debate. And yes, there are probably a lot more that we’ve not mentioned.

Our Comprehensive cover for the over 50s includes:

Top ten most famous cars of all time

At some time or another, we’ve all dreamt about owning a car that we’ve watched screeching around our TV or cinema screens. Who hasn’t longed to be Steve McQueen powering that beautiful Mustang up and down the streets of San Francisco, in Bullitt? Or wanted to be Sean Connery, charismatically putting his Aston Martin through its paces in Goldfinger?

Top ten most famous cars of all time

At some time or another, we’ve all dreamt about owning a car that we’ve watched screeching around our TV or cinema screens. Who hasn’t longed to be Steve McQueen powering that beautiful Mustang up and down the streets of San Francisco, in Bullitt? Or wanted to be Sean Connery, charismatically putting his Aston Martin through its paces in Goldfinger?